Birds of Luc know. 487 



nests, the birds fairly baffled both them and me. It was 

 not until they had hatched four young successfully that they 

 gave their secret away. 



The few nests which I have seen have all been deep inverted 

 cones of grass, fibre, &c., thickly coated outside with fibres 

 like those of the White-eyebrowed Fantail Flycatcher, but 

 hardly so neat. They seem to be usually concealed in 

 creepers or under leaves, at no great height from the ground, 

 but I have seen too few to be able to say much. The eggs, 

 usually three in number, are a most delicate grey or pinkv 

 white, marked with thick longitudinal streaks of reddish 

 l)ro\vn, purple, or lavender. I consider them some of the 

 handsomest to be found. 



Average of 8 Lucknnw eggs "(U" x '04" 



Measurement of largest egg "75" x '56" 



„ smallest egg -02" x •52" 



No. 278. MoLPASTEs H7EMORKHOUS. Madvus Red-vented 

 Bulbul. 



Bulbul, Gnldum Rulbul [11.]. 



This bird, although I have given it the above designation, 

 is not the true M. hcemorrhoati. I have examined numbers 

 of skins and taken nests and eggs time after time, and have 

 come to the conclusion that our type is very constant, and at 

 the same time differs from all the Red-vented Biilbuls hitherto 

 described. The dimensions tally with those given by Gates 

 tor M. luemorrhons, while the l)lack of the crown terminates 

 rather abruptly on the hind-neck, and is not extended along 

 the back, as is the case with M. intermedins and M. betajid- 

 ensis. On the other hand, as in the last two species, the cai"- 

 coverts are chocolate. Furthermore, I may add — although I 

 attach little importance to this — that the eggs of tiic Lucknow 

 bird which I have seen are without exception far smaller than 

 ray eggs of genuine M. iuterniediiis from the Punjab. JNIy 

 own opinion is that the Lucknow race is the result of a 

 hybridization between the other three species. 



This Bulbul is very common all over the district, and is 

 found away from human habitations more often than the 

 Rcd-whi>kcrcd Bulbul, which evidently objects to being far 



